


Think Before You Jump

by city_bright



Category: The Mindy Project
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-10 04:30:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11119947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/city_bright/pseuds/city_bright
Summary: Mindy and Danny confide in each other about their marriage problems with Ben and Sarah





	Think Before You Jump

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the anon who sent me this prompt over on Tumblr. I hope you love it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Mindy is curled into the couch end, knees to her chest, sneakers resting on the edge of the cushion, hand under her chin, watching When Harry Met Sally in the doctor’s lounge. When Harry Met Sally is the one true pick me up for when she feels discouraged or sad, and today is one of those days. There’s a figure stopped at the doorway, and it doesn’t take long to figure out who it is. 

“Stop lingering, you weirdo, and get in here.”

There’s a beat of hesitation, but the figure concedes and walks the three steps from the door to the gray, lived in couch.

“How did you know it was me?” He takes a swig of his water as he settles into the couch and places the quickly condensing bottle on a coaster on the table. He’s not a monster, after all. 

“Haven’t you heard? You have a rattle when you breathe. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, Danny.” She looks at him for the first time since he arrived and gives him a playful smile.

“Okay, I guess I walked myself into that one.”

The familiar silence of the doctor’s lounge settles over them, and they don’t speak for a few minutes. Mindy can’t help but remember the last time they sat on this very couch, watching When Harry Met Sally. She can’t believe how far they have come in the past 5 years and how fast time flies. It seems like yesterday when he was rattling off what it means to be a man, and she smiles at the fond memory.

Danny’s the first to break the silence. “I heard that you got married.”

“Took you long enough to bring it up. It’s been, like, six minutes. You’re slacking, Castellano.”

“Duly noted.” He takes another swig of water. “Thanks for the invite, Min.” Mindy can tell he’s a little hurt by it, but there’s a familiar sparkle in his eye and cheerfulness in his voice that she couldn’t help but crack a small smile.

“Sorry,” she mumbles.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I think so. I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like I rushed into this marriage thing a little too quickly.” Mindy casts her gaze back to the television screen. “…Did it for the wrong reasons,” she finishes quietly.

“You know, that does sound like you,” he smirks.

“Danny!” She throws a pillow at him. “I’m feeling very sad! Stop being a jerk!”

“I was trying to make you feel better! Don’t hit me with the pillow.”

She snorts at his weird way of making her feel better. “Okay.” 

“Look, the reasons weren’t wrong, but maybe they just weren’t _your_ reasons.”

“Maybe…I just,” she sighs deeply, “I knew for sure I didn’t need to get married to be happy, but then he wanted to get married and Lindsey wanted us to be a family, so I was like, ‘what the hell?’ you know? But now I’m realizing that I did something because someone else wanted it. Again.”

“So… what’s next? What are you going to do?"

“I don’t know. I’m still thinking about it. Ending my marriage is not exactly on the top of my list right now.”

He hums in acknowledgement. “Yeah, I get that.”

“Speaking of marriage, how’s,” she nudges her chin towards his wedding ring, “the missus?”

“When have you ever said ‘missus’ in your entire life?”

“Never. I’m just trying to speak your language,” she deadpans.

A laugh escapes him, the unexpected kind that wrinkles the corner of his eyes and tapers into a giggle, and it makes her laugh too. He sighs and leans his head back on the couch. “She’s fine. Marriage is … regular,” he definitively states.

She raises her eyebrows. “Regular? No one says marriage is regular, Danny.”

“I don’t know!” He’s gesturing a little too wildly now, and she leans back further into the couch to give him her best ‘I don’t believe you look.’ “It’s fine.”

“Sure, Jan.”

“Hey, don’t Brady Bunch me!”

“Sure, okay, because you’re _clearly_ fine right now. I’m sorry, I must’ve misunderstood your wild gesticulation.”

Danny sighs deeply. He could never just be cool around her. “I don’t know what else to say. It really is just fine. It’s quiet… uneventful.” He shrugs, giving up on trying to describe his marriage to her. “It is what it is.”

She wrinkles her nose because just thinking about him going home after a long shift at the hospital to a bland and colorless life makes her sad. “That doesn’t sound very fun.”

“It’s not, but maybe it’s what I need. After, you know.” He waves a hand between the two of them.

“I take minor offense in that, but I get what you’re saying. Our relationship wasn’t exactly … easy, to put it lightly.”

“No,” he chuckles, “it wasn’t.”

“Are you happy though?”

He doesn’t answer right away because he’s honestly not sure. In some ways, he is. He has a son whom he loves dearly, he lives in the best city in the world, and he’s passionate about his career, but sometimes he feels like he has half a person to share all that with. Sarah is wonderful and sweet, but she isn’t exciting, _life_ with her isn’t exciting. Danny has only met one person who ever was, and she's sitting right next to him. 

“Sometimes. I think I am.” He turns his head to face her before asking, “Are you?”

Mindy’s brows furrow at the somewhat unexpected question from the man who once made her the happiest she has ever been. How does she tell him that she thinks she is too, but isn’t sure? Is she really happy in this new life of hers or does she only feel unhappy because she knows what could be possible? She dares to look at him, hoping that somehow the answer is right in front of her. It isn’t.

“I don’t know,” she answers honestly. 

He nods once, understanding her plight that is somehow also his, and their eyes wander back to the television screen, not wanting to address or acknowledge their mutual discontent any further. Harry is running down the streets of New York City on New Year’s Eve.

“Who would do that?” Danny jokes, making Mindy laugh so hard that she has to cover her nose to hide the snort that would inevitably come and clutch her stomach.

“You would,” Mindy says knowingly when their bout of laughter finally dies down. Without thinking, she rests her head on his shoulder, and it feels like home. He stiffens ever so slightly, but gives himself the permission to simply enjoy it. He sighs contently and places a kiss in her hair before turning back to the tv to hear exactly why Harry loves Sally. 


End file.
